Seat belt use up

September 11, 2007

PIERRE - More South Dakotans have gotten in the habit of buckling up in the past year. The state Office of Highway Safety said 73 percent of drivers and passengers now use their seat belt. That's up from 71 percent last year. The director of the state Office of Highway Safety, Ron Meyer, said seat belt use is highest on the rural interstates at 87 percent and lowest on rural roads at 65 percent. Meyer said seat belt use in rural areas needs to increase because 70 percent of the state's fatal traffic accidents happen on rural roads. Seat belt use has increased each year since 2000, when it was 53 percent.